Distribution and Species Richness of Odonate at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Susan M. Costa SULI Program

Community College of Rhode Island Brookhaven National Laboratory

Upton, New York

August 11, 2004

Prepared in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Office of Science, DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) Program under the direction of Dr. Timothy M. Green in the Environmental and Waste Management Services Division (EWMS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Participant: _________________________________________________________________ Signature Research Advisor: ______________________________________________________________ Signature Any disclaimer(s) required by the various DOE laboratories.

Table of Contents

Abstract 3

Introduction 4

Materials and Methods 6

Results 7

Discussion and Conclusions 8

Acknowledgements 10

References 11

Tables 13

Figures 16

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ABSTRACT

Distribution and Species Richness of Odonate at Brookhaven Laboratory. SUSAN M. COSTA

(Community College of Rhode Island, Warwick, RI 02886) DR. TIMOTHY M. GREEN

(Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973-5000).

Odonate research was conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory during the summer of

2004. The purpose for the research was to continue the Odonata research that began in the

summer of 2003, which consisted of identifying and cataloging the specimens found at the

Laboratory. Identification was to species level when ever possible. In addition the 2004 goal was

to survey the bodies of water at the Lab primarily for adult odonates, to observe species richness,

and catalog and preserve the specimens collected in support of the New York Odonate Atlas. To

date a total of forty-six species have been identified at Brookhaven National Laboratory between the

two summers of research. Twenty-five adults and twelve larvae were identified during the

summer of 2003 and fifteen different adults species were found and identified during the summer

of 2004. Future research may continue at the ponds in order to expand cataloging of Odonates; to

possibly look at a link between species richness and pH of ponds; and to continue the larger on going

biotic inventory of the Lab.

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INTRODUCTION

Research conducted during the summer of 2004 was a continuation of the

Qualitative Odonate identification and cataloging research conducted during the summer of

2003. The research for 2004 focused mainly on the adult population of odonates with an

emphasis on the species richness (number of species) of the aquatic insects found at Brookhaven

National Laboratory (BNL) [2] [3]. The goal was to survey all the ponds at the Lab, catalog, and

preserve one male and female of every species found supporting the Odonate Atlas Project that

was started in 2002 by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Part of the

research project was also to continue looking for the three species of damselflies on the New

York State list of threatened and endangered species [1].

The Order Odonata arose and flourished about 250 to 300 million years ago during the

Carboniferous period and during which time they were gigantic with wingspans that reached

approximately 70 cm (27.5 inches) [4][5]. It is believed that atmospheric oxygen played a major

role in the increase and decrease in size of these organisms. Research recently done reinforces

the idea that oxygen concentrations during the Paleozoic Era were about 35 percent in

comparison to the approximate 21 percent found in air today and this may have allowed larger

insects to evolve [4]. These ancient giant Odonates eventually diverged into three Suborders,

Anisoptera (dragonflies), Zygoptera (damselflies), and one rare group found only in Nepal and

Japan called Anisozygoptera [6].

Odonates are hemimetabolous insects, which means they have 3 stages of life, egg =>

larvae => adult; unlike moths and butterflies which have 4 stages of life, egg => larvae => pupa

=> adult [7]. Odonates are extremely beneficial aquatic insects both as adults and larvae. Once

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larvae have hatched they begin their aquatic life as a ferocious predator of mosquito larva, fresh

water invertebrates, small tadpoles and fish, as well as their own species [6]. Odonates have an

exoskeleton as do all other invertebrates and must molt periodically in order to grow. These

molting phases are called instars and Odonates have approximately 10 to 20 of these phases [6].

The final molting phase is referred to as emerging in which the larvae crawl out of the water,

molts and sheds its exoskeleton. The exoskeleton is called an exuviae and the newly emerged

adult is called the exuviant. Once its wings and body have expanded to there full length, this

ferocious predator begins it life of hunting on the wing (in flight) feeding on mosquito, gnats,

aphids, moths, butterflies, and smaller odonates [6], in turn they are prayed upon by parasites,

frogs, toads, spiders, and birds [14].

The two main Suborders of Odonata, Anisoptera (dragonflies) and Zygoptera

(damselflies), look a lot alike except for some of their basic physical traits that make them

distinguishable by site from one another. Adults have excellent site while flying due to their

compound eyes that make up a major part of their heads. The visible difference between the two

suborders include, dragonflies’ eyes touching on the top of their very round head and damselfly’s

eyes being separate with their head being more football shaped. They both have large delicate

membranous wings, but dragonflies fore and hind wings are different in shape where as

damselflies fore and hind wing are uniform in shape. Some other differences in their wings are

strength and position in which they are held at rest. Dragonflies have much stronger wings that

allow them to make transoceanic journeys [6], [8]. They hold them at a 180 degree angle from

their body when they rest were as damselflies have weaker more fluttery wings while flying and

hold them over their abdomen when at rest [8] The last characteristic difference between the two

suborders is the difference in their long slender abdomens. Dragonflies have thick, and some

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even have swollen segments at the end of the abdomen, which can be seen in groups such as

clubtails, and spiketails. Damselflies have a more delicate slender abdomen. During their larval

stage odonates live in the water and are truly aquatic with a closed respiratory system, while in

the water dragonflies breath through gills found in their anus, where as damselflies have gills at

the tip of their abdomen that look like feathers [7].

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fieldwork was conducted with the aid of a variety of tools and materials, including two

15” insect nets one mesh and the other canvas with mesh bottom, dip net, chest waders, field

vest, zip-lock sandwich bags, a digital camera, and a cooler containing ice. The chest waders

were worn while wading in or around the ponds where odonates could be found. The insect nets

were used to catch adult specimens while they were in flight or perched on vegetation. Once

specimens were caught they were placed in the zip-lock bags and placed in the cooler to slow

down their metabolism, keeping them alive and maintaining their vibrant coloration. The digital

camera was used to take pictures of odonates in there natural settings. An aquarium was used to

rear larvae in order to key to species [9].

A 7x Bausch & Lomb dissecting microscope, dissecting tweezers, metric ruler, specimen

trays, petri dishes, gel filled petri dishes, and mounting pins were the tools used to examine the

specimens. The dissecting microscope was use to magnify features specified in the taxonomic

keys and field guides ([7], [9], [10], [11], [12], and [13]). Once larval specimens were identified

large larvae were placed in an aquarium and reared until they emerged. One male and one female

from each species were preserved by first euthanizing them in kill jars using acetone vapors.

They were then placed in transparent specimen envelopes, labeled the with the individual’s data,

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then placed in a jar with enough acetone to cover the envelope and allowed to sit over night to

reduce any fats with-in the specimens [10]. The next day they were removed and dried for an

hour or so and stored in a file box.

RESULTS

During the summer of 2004, twenty-eight ponds and the Peconic River were surveyed or

resurveyed at the Lab, including the nine surveyed during the summer of 2003 (P-1, P-2, P-6,

P-7, P-9, P-10, 9 O’clock pond at the RHIC Ring, as well as the Recharge Basins 6a, 6b, 6c,and

6d at the RHIC Ring, and the Peconic River). Due to low precipitation during the ten weeks of

the summer internship of 2004, a total of 4.44 inches (precipitation total) during the months of

June and July, several of the vernal ponds had dried up before they were surveyed [15]. A total

of fifteen new species were found at the Lab, nine new damselflies, and six new dragonflies. To

date a total of forty-six species have been found at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Table 1

shows the distribution for each species and Figure 1 shows the species richness of each location

surveyed at BNL. Pond 7 for the second year in a row was found to have the highest species

richness with a total number of 24 species followed by Pond 10 with 19 species, 9 O’clock Pond

with 18, Lower Peconic River with 16, and Upper Peconic River with 13. Table 2 shows the

species abundance found at each pond at BNL. Three ponds; P-W6b, p-12-E, and vp-10 were

found to have 0 species possibly due to the fact they had dried up. Coincidently the first three

ponds with the highest species richness were also found to have high pH ranging between 8.0-

9.0. This coincidence warrants further investigation.

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DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The purpose for the odonate research at the Lab during the summer of 2004 was to

continue research started during the summer of 2003 and to continue identifying as many of the

species as possible that could be found at Brookhaven National Laboratory, to begin looking at

the species richness, and to continue looking for the three species of Enallagma (damselflies)

listed as threatened on the New York State list of threatened and endangered species [1].

A total of 28 ponds and the Peconic River were surveyed at Brookhaven National

Laboratory in Upton, New York (Figure 1 shows the location of all the ponds surveyed and

Figure 2 shows the vegetation found at BNL). To date a total of 46 odonate species have been

found to inhabit various wetlands at the Laboratory. Thirty-one species of odonates were found

during the summer of 2003 and another 15 species of odonate were found during the summer of

2004, 9 damselflies and 6 dragonflies, none were the threatened species of Enallagma. It appears

that several of the ponds that were found to have high species richness are found in areas of Pitch

Pine-White Oak, Mixed Oak, Successional, or Scarlet Oak Forests. The shaded cells in Table 1

indicate, which of the species were found in 2004. A continuing trend from summer 2003

research was the high species richness found at P-7 and the 9 O’clock pond as well as P-10. All

three of these ponds are found in open areas. Another coincidence was that all three were found

to have a pH between 8.0-9.0. Although odonates can tolerate a fairly wide range of pH, this

coincidence could be related to vegetation, and fish populations, in any case the coincidence

warrants further investigation in the future [16]. The Upper Peconic River and The Lower

Peconic River were found to have more than a dozen species. No samples were obtained from,

P-W6b, p-12-E, and one other vernal pool. This could be due to the fact that they do not retain

water long enough to sustain nymphs that remain in nymphal form for 1-3 years [14].

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Distribution of the different species varied as they did with the 2003 research. The

Common Green Darner (Anax junius) was found at seventeen locations. While several other

species of dragonflies have only been found at one location, Williamson’s Emerald

(Somatochlora williamsoni), Ashy Clubtail (Gomphus lividus), Unicorn Clubtail (Arigomphus

villosipes), Blue Corporal (Libellula deplanta), Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa), Halloween

Pennent (Celithemis eponina), and Sot-winged Glider (Pantala flavescens). In the damselflies

the Azure Bluet (Enallagma aspersum) was found at nine locations, where as the Ebony

Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) was only found at the Peconic River, which is the only body

of water found at the lab that fulfills the species environmental requirements of slow moving

water. Table 1 summarizes the distribution among the odonate species found at the Lab.

Twenty-one of the species found over the past two summers come from the Family

Libellulidae. Six of them are found at 11-16 location and another four are found at 6-7 locations.

Due to the time constraints of the project, there are still many species likely to be found at

the Lab that still have not been identified. In order to get a better record of the odonate species

found at the lab further investigations would need to be conducted.

At times it was difficult to catch some of the larger specimens for preserving and

cataloging especially the quick aerial dragonflies such as the Common Green Darner (Anax

junius). The best method used to obtain the larger specimens was to rear the larvae in an

aquarium until they emerged as an adult. While in the field, it was easier to take several macro

pictures of a single specimen, log the pond they were taken at, then return to the office,

download the photos and identify the specimen using field guides. In many instances the

specimens were also caught and analyzed under the dissection microscope.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the Department of Energy for the opportunity to participate in the

Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) Program. I would especially like to thank

Dr. Timothy M. Green my mentor for allowing me to continue the odonate research that I began

during the summer of 2003, helping to expand on the research and giving me the guidance to

accomplish it. Thanks also go to all the staff of the Environmental and Waste Management

Services Division for a wonderful work experience, and especially Jeremy Feinberg the “Herp

Man” of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for taking me out into the field and allowing me to

help with some of his research. I would also like to thank Mark Davis for his help when Tim was

out of the office and for all his help and participation in our weekly Day Camp Program. A

thanks also goes to Gail Donoghue and Kathleen Nasta for giving us the opportunity to work

with the kids. Thanks also go to Jennifer Higbie for the beautiful and informative maps of the

BNL property, and to Doug Paquette for his generosity in letting me use his dissecting

microscope. Many thanks go to all my fellow interns Kristine Hoffmann, Wendy Finn,

Esperanza Florendo, Frank Smith, Stephen Goodyear, Jenn Sears, Elisa Bosshart, and Ivan

Suarez for sharing their knowledge of their projects with me. A very special thank you goes to

Mr. Mel Morris, the Educational Programs Administrator at the Office of Educational Programs,

for all his dedication to his interns for stopping in our department just to see how we were doing.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my professors Donald S. Fontes and Dr. Jean Billerbeck

for guiding me in my college career and for making me realize the important of conducting

hands on research in order to become a well rounded educator. I wouldn’t be here it wasn’t for

the two of them.

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REFERENCES

[1] New York State Department of Environmental Conservation: List of Endangered,

Threatened, and Special Concern Fish & Wildlife Species of New York State. (2003 March.

Available from: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/endspec/etsclist.html.

[2] N.A. Campbell, J.B. Reece, “Biology” 6th ed., San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings,

2002, p. 1191.

[3] A. Mackenzie, A.S. Ball, S.R. Virdee, “Instant Notes in Ecology”, BIOS Scientific

Publishers Limited, 1998, p 189.

[4] Fountain, Henry, “When Giants Had Wings and 6 Legs”, The New York Times, February

3, 2004 [Online]. Available from:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/03/science/03INSE.html.

[5] Terry T, “Dragonflies of the Athabasca River Basin”. 2002 June Available from: Science

Outreach-Athabasca.

http://scienceoutreach.ab.ca/documents/brochure_dragonflies_1.doc

[6] J. W. H. Trueman, R. Rowe. (2001). Tree of Life Web Project: Odonata: Dragonflies and

Damselflies. [Online]. Available from:

http//tolweb.org/tree?group=Odonata&contgroup=Pterygota.

[7] R.W. Merritt, K.W. Cummins, “An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North

America”, 3rd. ed., Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 1996, pp.164-167

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[8] Silsby J., A Beginner’s Guide to Dragonflies. 2002 June. Available from:

http://powell.coalgate.edu/wda/beginners_guide.htm

[9] J.G. Needham, M.J. Westfall, Jr., M.L. May, “Dragonflies of North America”,

Gainesville: Scientific Publishers, 2000,

[10] M. J. Westfall, Jr., M. L. May, “Damselflies of North America”, Gainesville: Scientific

Publishers, 1996,

[11] S. W. Dunkle, “Dragonflies through Binoculars”, New York: Oxford Press, 2000,

[12] E. Lam, “Damselflies of The Northeast”, Published by Biodiversity Books, 2004,

[13] B. Nikula, J. L. Loose, M. R. Burne, “ A Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies

of Massachusetts”, Publication of Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, 2003,

[14] G. Zieman. (2003 June). Dragonfly. [Online]. Available from:

http://www.bv229.k12.ks.us/biophilia/wsc/pondanimal/dragonfly.h

[15] National Weather Service, Upton, New York

[16] M. May, Personal Communications.

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Table 1 Species Distribution Table Dragonflies Family Aeshnidae Scientific Name Distribution Comet Darner Anax lonipes 3 Common Green Darner Anax junius 17 Shadow Darner Aeshna umbrosa 2 Swamp Darner Epiaeschna heros 4 Family Corduliidae Williamson's Emerald Somatochlora williamsoni 1 Family Gomphidae Ashy Clubtail Gomphus lividus 1 Unicorn Clubtail Arigomphus villosipes 2 Family Libellulidae Band-winged Meadowhawk Sympetrum semicinctum 4 Bar-winged Skimmer Libellula axilena 3 Black Saddlebags Tramea lacerata 14 Blue Corporal Libellula deplanta 2 Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis 17 Calico Pennant Celithemis elisa 1 Carolina Saddlebags Tramea carolina 11 Cherry-Faced Meadowhawk Sympetrum internum 11 Common Whitetail Libellula lydia 15 Eastern Amberwing Perithemis tenera 2 Eastern Pondhawk Erythemis symplicicollis 6 Great Blue Skimmer Libellula vibrans 6 Halloween Pennent Celithemis eponina 1 Painted Skimmer Libellula semifasciata 7 Setwing Dythemis 1 Slaty Skimmer Libellula incesta 7 Spot-winged Glider Pantala hymenaea 1 Twelve-Spotted Skimmer Libellula pulchella 15 Wandering Glider Pantala flavescens 3 White-faced Meadowhawk Sympetrum obtrusum 4 Widow Skimmer Libellula luctuosa 2 Damselflies Family Calopterygidae Ebony Jewelwing Calopteryx maculata 1 Family Coenagrionidae Azure Bluet Enallagma aspersum 9 Big Bluet Enallagma durum 1 Citrine Forktail Ischnura hastata 6 Eastern Forktail Ischnura verticalis 8 Familiar Bluet Enallagma civile 4 Fragile Forktail Ischnura posita 3 Marsh Bluet Enallagma ebrium 1 Northern Bluet Enallagma cyathigerum 3 Rambur's Forktail Ischnura ramburii 3 Skimming Bluet Enallagma geminatum 1 Variable Dancer Argia fumipennis violacea 1 Family Lestidae Amber-winged Spreadwing Lestes eurinus 3 Common Spreadwing Lestes disjunctus disjunctus 1 Elegant Spreadwing Lestes inaequalis 1 Slender Spreadwing Lestes rectangularis 5 Sweetflag Spreadwing Lestes forcipatus 5 Lyre-tipped Spreadwing Lestes unguiculatus 5

Indicates the species found in 2004

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14

15

16

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